Lawyer Advocates for Students to Engage in ‘Strategic Whimsy’

Lawyer Bob Goff, the founder and CEO of Restore International who also teaches a law class at Pepperdine University, spoke at Belmont on Wednesday in a convocation co-sponsored by the Office of Spiritual Development and the College of Law.
The nonprofit Restore International exists to address atrocities and injustices committed against children. With a passion for finding ways to restore justice to children and the poorest of the poor, Restore makes a difference on behalf of those who do not otherwise have a voice. Restore has worked with Uganda’s judiciary in bringing to trial over 200 cases, including cases involving children who were languishing in jail without trial. Goff now serves as the Hon. Consul for the Republic of Uganda to the United States.
Though passionate about the work of Restore, Goff is not as enthusiastic about organizations, red tape or anything considered the “typical” way of accomplishing a mission.
“The thing that struck me in college,” Goff said, “was that I wanted to make a difference in the world, and I kept hitting invisible fences.”
Encouraging students with the idea to be “secretly incredible,” Goff challenged attendees to move past the impediments that stand between them and their passion for service in order to get to the “do” part. “Bring your whimsy. If there are tapes playing in your head about what you can’t do, ignore them. You serve a huge God.”
Goff is currently writing a book that is scheduled to release in 2012 on Thomas Nelson Publishers. Click here to view additional photos from Wednesday’s event.